Hello!This week I have test-taking on my mind! Today we had nine online WIDA ACCESS sessions happening throughout the building in three different labs. Whew! As I walked from lab to lab to check in, I was so pleased to see our testing coordinators and ESL teachers using Mindful Breathing before the test to help prepare the students for the task at hand. My first-hand experience is that mindful breathing before a potentially stressful task helps me to feel more calm and allows me to focus. Kudos for using Mindful Breathing! (…and if you didn’t use it, try it next week!)

In the article, How Mindful Children React Differently to Challenges, the author writes, “After mindfulness training, you are skilled at halting an anxious response in its tracks” So rather than getting worried and anxious before a test, you can use a minute of mindfulness to nurture a sense of calm, kindness, and patience. I really like the illustrations, check out the one about test taking! (I’ve attached it to this email.)